The design of the 9 builds on that seen on the 7 Crossback, which kicked off this new era for DS independent from being a Citroën sub-brand. The saloon is 4.93m long and 1.85m wide with a 2.9m long wheelbase. This makes it more than 200mm longer than its Audi rival, 80mm of which is in the wheelbase, and a similar width.

DS is talking up the rear cabin space of the new car, as well as the high quality trim materials. These include a Nappa leather dashboard, watchstrap-style leather seats, leather door handles and an Alcantara headlining.

Dynamically, the 9 comes with MacPherson strut front suspension on all models and double wishbone rear suspension on the plug-in hybrid models. A torsion beam is fitted to the rear of the petrol-only car.

The 9 will become available to order in the second half of this year and is due for delivery early next year. Prices will be closely aligned to the A4, starting at around £30,000, but DS will push the extra space and equipment over the A4 as its point of differentiation.

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